AEW Dynamite 12/2/20 Quick Takes

Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal

The special “Winter is Coming” edition of Dynamite begins with the battle royal to determine who will compete for the Dynamite Diamond Ring next week. All in all, this was a great way to kick off the show. There were a lot of different stories going on at the same time. You had the interplay of the Inner Circle, whatever the heck is going on with Matt Hardy, and an interesting interaction with Adam Page and the Dark Order. The highlight for me was seeing Miro look like an absolute beast. Yes, he got eliminated but he took out several competitors and it took 4 guys to take him out. In an interesting twist on the “someone stays outside until they can sneak in” trope, we see Orange Cassidy get dragged into the ring after being laid out on the outside for most of the match and eventually eliminates Wardlow. Next week, MJF will take on OC.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Chris Jericho

This was a match that happened, I guess. I took two main points from this one. One being that Kazarian is criminally underrated. His slingshot guillotine leg drop is a thing of beauty. The other point is that while he may be a fantastic character, Chris Jericho is hit or miss in the ring these days, and more often than not for me is a miss lately. Kaz really swung for the fences on this one, even pulling off a Flux Capacitor. I can’t remember the last time he hit that move. The close of the match saw Frankie put Jericho into the Walls of Jericho for a while until MJF comes down holding the white towel, ready to throw it. This was a nice call back to MJF/Cody. As he is about to throw it in, Sammy Guevara grabs it as Chris is able to reach the ropes. Chris thinks that Sammy is going to through in the towel, giving Kaz a few chances to go for a couple near falls until Frankie literally walks into a Judas Effect. After the match, the Inner Circle squabbles for a bit until Jericho is fed up. He says that next week, the Inner Circle will work together or, they will break up.

Britt Baker vs. Leyla Hirsch

This was a stand out an appearance from “Legit” Leyla Hirsch. I’m starting to put Britt Baker in the same category as Chris Jericho, she’s a terrific character but her ring work is lacking. Her superkick is almost a parody at this point. As for Leyla, I am a fan of catch wrestling and Hirsch adds a new dimension to the division that is very much needed. In the end, Rebel is able to distract Leyla long enough for Britt to hit her with an STO into the turnbuckle. Dr. Baker follows this up with a spinning neck breaker and the Lockjaw for the win. Afterward, Thunder Rosa slides into the ring and attacks Baker. Rebel gets a cheap shot on Rosa only for Leyla to suplex the heck out of her. Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker go at it again until they are finally separated by the refs and agents.

Darby Allin and Cody Rhodes vs. Ricky Starks and Will Hobbs

This was fun. Cody and Darby worked really well together and the team of Starks and Hobbs is becoming one of my favorite parts of Dynamite. Team Taz looked great. Will Hobbs has the potential to really be an impact player in AEW over time. Cody was…well, Cody. He hits all of his normal spots. I will say that the Cody Cutter is growing on me. The face team gets the win after Darby Allin hits a Coffin Drop on Ricky Starks. The main talking point of this match was the post-match angle. Team Taz beats down Allin and Arn Anderson. Dustin comes down to help but gets taken out by Brian Cage. Taz hands the FTW title to Hobbs to nail Cody until the lights go out. An ominous video package plays until the lights come back revealing…Sting! Sting is here with bat in hand as Team Taz bails out. The Icon interacts with everyone in the ring, including a really cool moment with Darby Allin.

AEW Championship- Jon Moxley (c) vs. Kenny Omega

This definitely had a “big fight” feel here. Don Callis is back on commentary to support his longtime friend Kenny. Both men tried to hit their kill shots early but to no avail. This was fast-paced and hard-hitting. This match may have been AEW’s closest attempt at a puroresu strong-style type bout and I dug it. For the first time in a long time, I felt that Kenny Omega finally got live up to the Best Bout Machine moniker in AEW and Moxley cemented his reputation as a double tough psychopath. The finish was a little convoluted tough. Moxley hits Omega with Paradigm Shift on the outside into a heating unit. The match pauses for a second as the doctor checks on Kenny. Moxley has enough of this and drags Kenny back into the ring and repeatedly punches Kenny in the face. Don Callis grabs a mic and pleads for Jon to stop. As Moxley shoves Don away, Callis drops the mic, which Kenny grabs and nails Mox with it. After 4 V-Triggers and One-Winged Angel, Jon Moxley has been dethroned and the Cleaner is now the AEW Champion. Omega and Callis make a b-line out of the arena as Alex Marvez asks the duo about what just happened. Don says that he will explain everything…on Tuesday…on Impact…

Final Thoughts

1. I admit that I geeked out hard for Sting. Seeing him on TNT just felt right. That being said, AEW needs to be careful. It’s hard to say you’re a future-focused company when you keep looking towards the past of WCW.

2. For such a high profile show, why was there no involvement from the Women’s Champion or the Tag Team Champions other than quick interview segments?

3. AEW working with Impact can be really cool…or really overbooked nonsense. We’ll see how it goes.

#Sting #JonMoxley #ChrisJericho #AEWDynamite #wrestling #AEW #KennyOmega